Chapter 213
We eventually pulled away from our hug and talked a bit more, about what happened, about life. She never really opened up to anyone about this kind of stuff, so I felt honored to be the one she entrusted with her feelings. She was honestly the strongest person I knew.
"Hey Layla?" Jessica knocked on the bedroom door.
"Go away ya big lug! We're having a girl talk," Layla called out to him, and I laughed. I heard him laughing, too.
"I was just letting you guys know that Asmodeus and Jake are back and they brought donuts," he said, and both of our eyes lit up.
"We'll be there in a sec!" She told him and we smiled softly at each other.
"Donuts definitely help me forget about everything, I don't know about you," she said to me, and I chuckled.
"Definitely," I agreed, and she took her remaining hand out of mind to pull her hair into a messy bun.
"We should have a sleepover tonight just us two and kick the boys out," she said and her eyes lit up again.
"I like that idea," I smiled. We hadn't really hung out too much just us, but I think it would be really nice.
When we went downstairs and into the kitchen, I smiled when I saw Asmodeus pretending to steal Jake's donut repeatedly, causing Jake to hysterically laugh and swat his hand away. Jessica looked up at Layla with a look in his eyes that showed just how in love he was.
We at least lucked out in the boyfriend department, I'd say...
"We should go on a double date some time," Layla thought out loud, and Asmodeus basically choked on his water.
"I'd rather stab myself with a fork," he told her, and she laughed.
"Well then we can go somewhere without silverware," Layla replied.
"We can go on a double date and Carla and I will stay in between you two the entire time, if you want," Asmodeus offered sarcastically, and Layla rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm already always fifth wheeling," Jake complained from his chair, and all of us bursted into laughter. We didn't know how he even knew what that was.
We all talked and had a good time together, and honestly, even just being with them lifted my heart so much. We had built such a sense of belonging with each other over all our time together, and we all had such a mutual understanding and love for one another.
After about an hour or so, we invited Josie, Madison, and Kade over, too. We tried again at charades, and Jessica and Layla honestly gave Asmodeus and I a run for our money. We still came out victorious, though.
Me and Layla's plan to have a fun girls sleepover actually worked out perfectly, because her and the girls offered to come and help out me and my mom with our thanksgiving food- considering the fact that we both absolutely sucked at doing it ourselves. My dad had been the good cook in the family, and this was the first year we were actually celebrating it since he passed.
The boys were caught a little of guard when the four of us basically up-and-left them, but we left without much time for them to ask about when we all planned to sleepover my house. Honestly, I didn't really know when we had planned it either, it was a weird sort of telepathic plan we all made together.
Layla drove us to my house, and even though I feared slightly for my life due to her driving skills, I didn't even mind. My mom was surprised when we all showed up, but she was really happy about it. It had been a while since she had done remotely anything like this- having fun and baking some deserts with me and my friends.
After my mom and Connor went to bed, the four of us did face masks in our room and just talked for hours.
Layla and Madison prank-called each other's ex-Justins, and Josie and I had to hold pillows over our faces to keep from bursting into laughter in the background.
And I loved every second of it.